tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207941322018-03-14T16:26:22.808-07:00Stuttering Student"You're a Stuttering Stanley! You talked funny when you went to school here. You talked funny all the way to high school!" - Cole Sear "The Sixth Sense"Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-40001866143008815642014-06-12T18:18:00.001-07:002014-06-12T18:18:42.130-07:00Expert Commenters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9J1bSweRuWU/U5pQSSt-2DI/AAAAAAAAAdE/BHsnCRXQrVA/s1600/152522394_mad_3_xlarge.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9J1bSweRuWU/U5pQSSt-2DI/AAAAAAAAAdE/BHsnCRXQrVA/s1600/152522394_mad_3_xlarge.jpeg" height="200" width="155" /></a></div>You know what is annoying? Well, lots of things, but today I received a notification from my blog that somebody left a comment. I don't usually become annoyed with comments, unless they are as idiotic and uninformed as this one was. Is. I just don't get why stuttering seems to be one of the last conditions that it is okay to blame on the stutterer him or herself. This is what it said (says):<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: right;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.899999618530273px;">"I don't know where you get the idea that it's something we don't choose. It is, you know that we can speak fluently at times, we can sing fluently, and many people can talk to animals or to them self fluently. There is something in our mind that says, "i will stutter now." that's a choice." - Crims Blog:&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #4c4c4c; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16.899999618530273px;">http://crimsmindos.blogspot.com/</span></span></blockquote><br />What is annoying is when people come along with no expertise in this field, the field of Speech Pathology, medicine, psychology, therapy...anything even remotely related...and yet they state things categorically as if somehow they've been given some divine information from the Stuttering Fairy.<br /><br />Just because we can speak fluently at times does not mean, in any logical sense that I can think of, that the times when we do stutter, must be a choice. That logic doesn't follow at all. That's what you would call a non sequitur. One thing doesn't follow the other. "You looked at me funny. Therefore, you must want me dead." His is even worse. "You looked at me funny. You must want to be an astronaut." That is about the level of logic in his statement.<br /><br />The experts in the field do not understand all there is to know about stuttering, yet this chemistry student suddenly has it all figured out? Since I can talk fluently sometimes...it must be a choice! Listen, unless you have some credentials that lead the reasonable person to the conclusion that you know anything about the topic about which you are speaking, please keep your ridiculous opinions to yourself. It's an insult to stutterers everywhere to lay the blame of our stuttering on us, just as it would to blame Cerebral Palsy on the sufferer. Or any disease or condition.<br /><br />The stupidity of such an assertion is that...why on earth would I choose to stutter? Do you somehow think I enjoy being humiliated in public or that I enjoy feeling inferior or enjoy not being able to express myself at certain times? Yes, I do not have to feel that way about stuttering, but that is the reality at times.<br /><br />It is well known that most stutterers do not stutter when they sing because the process in the brain while singing is different than that when merely speaking. Same with when we speak in unison. Most stutterers do not stutter at such times. Again, most believe, based on RESEARCH (hello?) that it is because the process that occurs in the brain is DIFFERENT than when we speak alone. While there is likely a psychological aspect to stuttering, recent research indicates that there is just something DIFFERENT in the brains of people who stutter. So, they may never get to the bottom of why, precisely, people stutter. One thing that the experts, doctors, psychologist, speech pathologists, therapists, and other educated experts know...we don't *choose* to stutter. That doesn't even make good sense. If you would like to leave your own comment in response, the entry in question is here:&nbsp;http://stutteringstudent.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-used-to-stuttercured-not-so-fast.html<br /><br />Please keep your uninformed and annoying opinions to yourself. Go back to your chemistry studies or something. Thank you.</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-69762313284293290042014-05-27T19:33:00.000-07:002014-05-27T19:33:06.528-07:00To Hide or Not To Hide (again)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQpSPga-LHM/U4VKlUBWBuI/AAAAAAAAAVk/-XzF2NIna5U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-27+at+10.31.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PQpSPga-LHM/U4VKlUBWBuI/AAAAAAAAAVk/-XzF2NIna5U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-27+at+10.31.17+PM.png" height="200" width="192" /></a></div>This issue has come up again in my life because I visited a blog that I actually <a href="http://stutterrockstar.com/who-am-i/#comment-10071" target="_blank">link to in my sidebar</a>. I respect this blogger a lot, actually, so this entry is not in opposition to anything she has written or said. The issue in question is...whether we should be covert...or "come out" as stutterers. I read and hear different things from different people, and no matter how many times I hear or read about it, my stance never changes: I choose to be covert for my own personal reasons, and I stand by them despite opinions to the contrary. I just hope that those people accept my reasons as I accept theirs. I find it dismaying when people say to "be brave" and "come out" as a stutterer...as if my choice is cowardice or if I am not as brave in my decisions and actions as a covert stutterer. <br /><br />I use fluency tricks to hide my stuttering because I want to sound like people who are fluent. Does this mean that I am ashamed of stuttering? Perhaps. That would be a matter between me and my therapist, if I had one. :) Does this mean that I don't accept my stutter? Not at all. I accept is as much as a person must accept that he has only one leg or one eye. I AM A STUTTERER. See? There, I wrote it. I am not delusional. :P I am <i>okay</i> with reality. However, this does not mean that I have to be okay with <i>stuttering</i>. <u>There is a difference</u>, in my opinion.<br /><br />If you only have one leg and you are okay with that, but are not okay with hopping around on one leg or dragging yourself across the floor, or using crutches, and instead choose to use a prosthetic to <i>look and walk like people with two legs</i>, I would find absolutely nothing wrong with this. That is your choice. I use fluency tricks for the same reasons: <i>to look and talk like people who do not stutter.</i> If you were perfectly okay with walking with only one leg and did not want a prosthetic, that would be a choice that is just as valid. Either choice is valid, either choice takes the same amount of courage, in my opinion. It would be unfair of me to judge you if you choose to openly stutter. By the same token, I ask that you not judge me negatively because I choose to be covert. I believe that my reasons for doing so are logical and reasonable, and I have put many years of thought and introspection into them.<br /><br />I will talk briefly about one of those reasons. I am an elementary school teacher. It took a lot of courage for me to branch out and take on this endeavor (second career), because I knew that it would place me in front of a classroom and in front of school boards and parents and in meetings where I would have to speak. But, it was my DREAM...and I bravely stepped out to accomplish it. But...people expect elementary teachers be be fluent. <i>That is just the reality</i>. Would I mind a college professor who stuttered? Probably not. He is not a role model for my growth and development. College professors do not teach and mentor children. School boards and parents expect elementary teachers to be able to communicate fluently. Notice that I did not say <b>effectively</b>. I believe that stutterers can communicate effectively. But, they cannot communicate fluently, and I would be competing in interviews with teachers who can speak fluently, and I don't think I would stand a chance with a school board if I openly stuttered. I believe that I would be passed over, all things being equal (I was just as qualified), and the more fluent teacher would get the job. For reasons of stigma and because probably most people believe that a stuttering teacher would not be <i>as good a role model for children who are developing their communication skills as one who is fluent</i>. Again, notice my wording. I am being careful to say things in a specific way.<br /><br />Is this fair? Of course, not. But...it is reality, and I do not choose to take on the fight to force a school to hire a stuttering teacher for the sake of equality. I am not ready to take on that battle. I would rather use my fluency tools to hide my stutter, just as a person with a glass eye uses it to hide the fact that he only has one eye. I want to be regarded as a fluent speaker, and that is my valid choice. I hope this makes sense to...somebody. Thanks for reading. :)</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-75378236829373065682014-05-26T12:53:00.002-07:002014-05-26T12:53:35.054-07:00Hello. I Stutter - A New Blog :)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzFS-QX4W10/U4OZoxzdnMI/AAAAAAAAAVI/1BQi6Lo331c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-26+at+3.41.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nzFS-QX4W10/U4OZoxzdnMI/AAAAAAAAAVI/1BQi6Lo331c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-26+at+3.41.42+PM.png" height="250" title="New Friends" width="320" /></a></div>I discovered a new <a href="http://helloistutter.com/" target="_blank">blogger</a>, also a fellow stutterer, who found my blog and then commented on some of the things I said. I appreciate that kind of attention because it means that a person actually read what I wrote, processed it, and then wanted to expound on what he read. That's awesome. I enjoy meeting new people and welcome him to the blogging community and will have his blog added to my links in the sidebar. Thank you for starting your blog. The world needs to hear our voices and your entry is welcomed! :)<br /><br />His blog is at this address: <a href="http://helloistutter.com/">http://helloistutter.com/</a> and he says it's a new blog and he's just starting, but has been taking notes on stuttering for years, so it will be great to see what kinds of insight he provides, whether his own, or from resources he has been reading, researching etc.<br /><br />I enjoyed the portion where he mentioned how he gets around reading aloud, as I talked about in my last entry. Here is what he said:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span><span style="color: #073763;">I know what I end up doing sometimes when I have to read printed text is gloss over it, maybe mumble a bit, and then try to find some more points that are important. This happens a lot at work during meetings when there’s a Powerpoint. I don’t like reading the slides, and I hate it when people do the same. So when I do my own presentations, I put only a few words and then “fill in the blanks” orally during the meeting. I’ll say something like, “so, then, you see, there, in point 1, you can see it … (pause) … and the second point is also important.” Let them do the reading!</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span></i></blockquote><br />I love that, and should have thought of such a work-around on my own. I'm reading texts in a support group and there's no reason I couldn't use some of these little tricks...so, thank you for the tip. I will definitely be incorporating it into my own experience. <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--es3b9w7Fqo/U4OajUHEErI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/eSOW7ymRjE0/s1600/cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--es3b9w7Fqo/U4OajUHEErI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/eSOW7ymRjE0/s1600/cover.png" height="200" title="Stuttering is Cool" width="146" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by <a href="http://danielerossi.ca/" target="_blank"><b>Daniele Rossi</b></a></td></tr></tbody></table>I also wanted to mention that a FB friend of mine, also an author, has released his new book "<a href="http://stutteringiscool.com/book/" target="_blank">Stuttering Is Cool</a>" and I fully support that endeavor and wish him all the luck in the world. He is also a <a href="http://stutteringiscool.com/" target="_blank">blogger</a> and I've enjoyed his blog for a long time. Apparently the book is helping others and that's wonderful. I still have my disagreements over the idea, but that's just my opinion, and I have my own reasons, and has no bearing whatsoever on my endeavor to encourage everyone to find what works for them...and thrive with it. I make no judgments. Well...unless you are trying to capitalize on stuttering by peddling some snake-oil cure. Don't do that, because I WILL be all over you like white on rice. This book, however, does not do any such thing.<br /><br />I've made many posts here over the years exposing these snake-oil, sinister money-grubbing idiots who use stuttering as a means to make a buck, peddling "cures" that are clearly not so. If you find any, <a href="mailto:sign543@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">please contact me</a>, and I will expose them by researching and getting to the bottom of what they are doing. Thanks for reading and thank you to my new blogger friend! Be well, all, and enjoy the summer months to come!</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-62381205382016762662014-05-21T19:47:00.001-07:002014-05-21T19:47:20.199-07:00Teaching Elementary Students<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sHI2CxosLyc/U31lCKQHbyI/AAAAAAAAAU0/v4VI2kDV8-4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-21+at+10.45.56+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sHI2CxosLyc/U31lCKQHbyI/AAAAAAAAAU0/v4VI2kDV8-4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-21+at+10.45.56+PM.png" height="320" width="246" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Since beginning this blog (2006), I have become a licensed K-8 teacher (no, this is not me in the photo) and have relocated to the southeastern part of the United States. Some have asked me how can one be a teacher...with a stutter? For me, it is because I mostly do not stutter when I am speaking in front of others, especially with children in a teaching capacity, and I also stutter much less in professional situations. If you want to know the reason why, I am afraid that I can't tell you. I simply do not know the reason. I am sure it has something to do with psychology, some reverse-psychology, or some affected-speaking technique, or something like that. I do know that if I talk in a "teachery" voice, or in some other affected voice, my stutter completely leaves. This is a form of speech therapy, actually, for stutterers, but it does not last forever. If you talk that way all the time, eventually that would become your new manner of naturally speaking and your stutter would likely just return. That is what I have learned from studying it, anyway.<br /><br />My dream has always been to be a teacher and now that my own son has graduated from Georgetown University (last Saturday) and is beginning his own teaching career in the Fall, it may be that this desire to teach is either hereditary, or perhaps he just naturally developed his own love for teaching. Either way, I am proud of him. He will be teaching Spanish in either middle grades or high school. I don't remember if I mentioned this, but prior to teaching, I was a children's counselor in a psychiatric hospital in Pennsylvania. That was a wonderful job and I actually worked with a few stuttering adolescents. One boy really opened up to me and was really comfortable talking to me. His story was very sad, his parents were very verbally and psychologically abusive and his self esteem was extremely low. I hope he is doing well. He is very intelligent, writes very well, and just needs people around him to build him up and support him.<br /><br />I am finding it harder to read out loud recently and that is just another of those phases I suppose I am going through. In my support group, I try to pass on reading because I hate to struggle, it's exhausting. Sometimes my fluency tricks will help, mostly they don't, however, because one of the biggest fluency tricks I use is word substitution, and you can't really get away with that when reading from printed text. Other times I will just force myself to read because I think it's helpful and healthy to face ones fears.<br /><br />Some of the students I have...do pick up on the stutter, even though it's minimal. When I talk to them individually, or if I address the class, I do stutter at times, and I have had students point it out. I usually will just admit that I am a stutterer and then they just forget about it. I haven't yet had a student who stutters. I am hoping that I will one day.<br /><br />I haven't blogged in a while, I am hoping to get back to it more regularly. Thanks for reading and feel free to email me with any questions! Happy Summer to everyone! :)&nbsp; </div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-6219947102118929692014-04-13T20:32:00.001-07:002014-04-13T20:43:12.177-07:0018 Famous People Who Stutter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WX9nzDv-0gY/U0tWt5iK5qI/AAAAAAAAATo/VRyMHuMQRV8/s1600/meltillis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WX9nzDv-0gY/U0tWt5iK5qI/AAAAAAAAATo/VRyMHuMQRV8/s1600/meltillis.jpg" height="195" title="Mel Tillis" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mel Tillis</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">I</span> </b></span>love it when famous people "come out" as stutterers. Our community has so few visible supporters, unlike so many other causes which often have countless visible and vocal supporters and members. We stutterers are left with one or two celebrity advocates or spokespeople, and it's sad that one of those is Porky Pig, a Warner Bros. cartoon character whose affliction is used for comic relief...not advocacy.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dECmOBAsfBQ/U0tYsYaJG1I/AAAAAAAAAT0/HLdwPp6oD3o/s1600/pamtillis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dECmOBAsfBQ/U0tYsYaJG1I/AAAAAAAAAT0/HLdwPp6oD3o/s1600/pamtillis.jpg" height="197" title="Pam Tillis" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pam Tillis</td></tr></tbody></table>Many people mention the one and only person who most know is a stutterer, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Tillis" target="_blank">Mel Tillis</a>. He is now 81 years old, and few people under the age of about 40 know who this is, however. I am not familiar with even one song by this man. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Tillis" target="_blank">Mel Tillis</a> is a famous country singer who was the winner of the <b>CMA Awards <i>Entertainer of the Year in 1976</i></b>. He is also the father of another famous country artist, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Tillis" target="_blank">Pam Tillis</a>. Maybe you remember a few of her 90s hits, "Shake the Sugar Tree" and "Maybe It Was Memphis."<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">S</span></span>o, here is a document that gives a pretty exhaustive list of famous people who are or once were stutterers. I must say that, for some, I have some doubt as to the veracity of the claim that they were or are stutterers. I have my own reasons for having this doubt, but I am not sure of the value of sharing the reasons. So, I'll just leave this here for you to examine for yourself. Be well!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.stutteringhelp.org/sites/default/files/Migrate/18_famous_people_2008.pdf" target="_blank">Link - 18 famous People Who Stutter!</a></span><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>Excerpt:</i> </b></span></h4></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div data-angle="0" data-canvas-width="151.55202060699463" data-font-name="g_font_52_0" dir="ltr" style="font-family: serif; left: 62.6689px; top: 192.64px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: rotate(0deg) scale(0.888174, 1);"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Kenyon Martin, Bill Walton, John Stossel, James Earl Jones, Carly Simon, Mel Tillis, Alan Rabinowitz, Robert Merrill, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, King George VI, Frank Wolf, Nicholas Brendon, Lewis Carroll, Annie Glenn, Darren Sproles ... all famous and successful.</i><i> And all stuttered"</i></span></span></div></blockquote></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-42960827587022677962014-04-13T19:50:00.000-07:002014-04-13T19:50:01.353-07:00Tips for Non-Stutterers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>(I posted something like this years ago, but I <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/tony-haenelt-pearson/helpful-tips-for-non-stutterers/10203132523970555" target="_blank">recently posted about this on Facebook</a>, so thought I'd post it here, as well. )</b></i></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8DEt9xnTfs/U0tMKnRNAOI/AAAAAAAAATY/8G7lWRNv90g/s1600/tartamudo_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8DEt9xnTfs/U0tMKnRNAOI/AAAAAAAAATY/8G7lWRNv90g/s1600/tartamudo_0.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>O</b></span>ften, people are only trying to help, and I always try to keep this in mind when a non-stutterer says something that he or she thinks is helpful, but is really not helpful at all. Some of them are downright insulting...but, again, they don't know that, so, maybe this entry will help. These are things <i>not</i> to say to someone who is stuttering or stammering. <i>(The word <b>stutter</b> or <b>stammer</b> both mean the same thing. Stammer is a word that is often used in other countries, like those in the UK. I only use the word stutter.)</i> If you aren't familiar with what stuttering or stammering is, please read this first: <a href="http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering.htm" target="_blank"><u><b><i>What is stuttering?</i></b></u></a><br /><br />1. <b><i>"Oh, we all stutter. I stutter sometimes, too."</i></b> - No, not everyone is a Persistent Developmental Stutterer. That's like saying that just because sometimes you stumble over your own feet, you also have Muscular Dystrophy. That would be an insulting and disrespectful thing to say to someone suffering from MD, and it's also not something you should say to someone with a stutter. I know people are only trying to help, but saying this does not help.<br /><br />2. <b>"Just slow down. Relax. You'll stutter less."</b> - Stuttering has nothing to do with the rate of speech and stutterers aren't necessarily uptight and in need of relaxation. <b>Stuttering isn't caused by nervousness and nervous people don't necessarily stutter.</b> I stutter when I am very relaxed and I stutter when I am anxious and uptight. There is no rhyme nor reason and this tip only makes me, personally, feel that, not only am I stuttering, and you notice, you perceive that I am the cause of my own stutter and if only I follow your tip, I'll stop. Now can you see why this isn't helpful?<br /><br />3. <b>"Oh, it doesn't bother me!"</b> - I often get this when I express frustration over being unable to get out what I want to say. While I do somewhat care how I come across to others with my speech, my own stuttering bothers me, and I'm not really thinking much at the time if I'm bothering you. Do you see? Saying that it doesn't bother you...doesn't really help me. Again, I know the person is only trying to be helpful, but this doesn't really help.<br /><br />4. <b>Completing my sentence for me or providing a word that I am struggling with</b>. - This is the response I most often get. Please. Don't do this. It's very distressing because it makes me feel like that I am speaking so badly that you think I need <i>your</i> help. I don't. If you just act normal and don't make any indication that I am stuttering, I will feel much better. If you try to help by completing a sentence for me, I am going to be just that much more aware of my stutter. It would be like if you saw someone with Muscular Dystrophy struggling to climb three stairs and you suddenly ran up and picked them up and carried them up. See? They would probably perceive that you were being impatient and couldn't stand to watch them struggle.<br /><br />5. <b>"Stuttering is just a bad habit that can be broken"</b>. - This one just annoys me. I had a caregiver who used to punch me in the stomach when I was 6 years old when I stuttered in order to break the "bad habit". It does not work. It's not a habit. It's a speech impediment and has distinctive symptoms that can't be stopped with will power. People who work to overcome stuttering work very hard to do so. They may form habitual reactions to their stutter, like anxiousness or self-conscious feelings, but the stutter itself is not a habit.<br /><br />6. <b>"Stuttering is caused by emotional trauma."</b> - Nobody knows what causes stuttering. While there are stutterers from every walk of life and while some people have developed a stutter after a very traumatic event like a car wreck, most stutterers have done so since before they can remember and their histories are extremely varied. There are no common denominators. Again: nobody knows what causes it.<br /><br />7. <b>"Oh, I read this book from this link that instantly cures stuttering!" </b>- Please do not suggest to me those "cures" that scam artists offer online. None of them work. They are predatory creeps who write these "eBooks" in order to get our $19.99 because they know that we are desperate. The promise instant cures by some technique. Children, the experts have been studying and researching this thing for decades. The most highly trained speech pathologists and experts keep the National Stuttering Association and others informed of the latest developments in stuttering therapies, and none of the information they give include instant cures. They do not exist. <br /><br /><blockquote><i>Note: There are many techniques that stutterers use to sound fluent. I use a multitude of them, and if you are interested in hearing what they are...I will write another entry later listing them and how I use them. Most people I encounter do not know that I stutter. And that is because I use these time-tested techniques. I also encounter many Proud Stutters who have scolded me for using these techniques and who say I should be proud and "out" and should stutter freely. Sorry, that's not for me. I would no more do that than I would deny myself a wheel chair if I were a paraplegic and drag myself across the floor...or deny myself the use of glasses. My techniques are used to make me sound like everybody else, just as glasses are designed so that I can see like everybody else. Make sense?</i></blockquote><br />8. <b>It is not funny.</b> - Lastly, if you find the sound of someone stuttering to be funny, please don't laugh and then apologize like that makes it okay. It's not funny to the stutterer, I promise you. It only makes them feel as if they are or sound like a freak. "I talk so badly, people can't help but laugh". How do you think that feels? Someone very, very close to me used to do this a lot, and they really didn't think anything of it and I still wonder why. If I saw an impaired person and had the urge to laugh at something that I found funny, I would get the hell out of there so that person didn't see. I would be mortified if someone with a disability saw me laughing at them. Have some social skills, please. It's not funny. If you think it's so funny, watch this and tell me what's funny about it. <br /><br />Love you guys! <3 :="" br=""></3><br /></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-88182750467945634772011-06-07T10:18:00.000-07:002014-06-28T18:08:47.168-07:00Celexa: The Verdict for Stuttering!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76tiFzzyd5E/Te5dPqKk9-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/a8yR1iKM8Gk/s1600/59396660-6c0355b9a9-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-76tiFzzyd5E/Te5dPqKk9-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/a8yR1iKM8Gk/s200/59396660-6c0355b9a9-b.jpg" height="141" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">EDIT 6/17/14: I am noticing an overload of SPAM comments. If you leave one, you will be blocked and your comment removed. I really do not want to go back to only allowing approved comments. Please stop.)&nbsp;</span></b><br /><br />My verdict, anyway. I can't speak intelligently from the perspective of the scientific or medical community on the efficacy of Celexa as a stuttering therapy, but I can speak of my experience. As you might have read from an earlier entry on this blog, I decided to undergo pharmaceutical stuttering therapy by taking Celexa after reading a professional article about the possible benefits to stutterers. The article actually talked about the benefits of both Celexa and Xanax combined, but I didn't want to try them both at the same time, first, because they both cause drowsiness and, second, because if it worked, I wouldn't be able to tell which drug actually helped. So, my neurologist suggested 20mg of Celexa daily for 2 months....just to see the result.<br /><br />I can report that my stuttering hasn't been affected at all, but I can also happily report that my fear and anxiety about wasps has all but disappeared! A surprise benefit! I don't remember if I posted about this before, but I have had a lifelong phobia of wasps. Not bees...they don't bother me all that much. Just wasps. (In the past, the image I put in this post would have completely freaked me out!) For as long as I can remember, I have never enjoyed Spring or Summer because of them. They look like little winged monsters that are constantly on the prowl, looking for somebody to torment.<br /><br />My phobia was so bad that I would immediately become anxious on waking up in the morning, knowing I had to walk from the house to the car...from the car to the store...or wherever I was going. I avoided going outside on warm, sunny days. Any buzzing noise in my direct vicinity caused increased heart rate, increased awareness of my surroundings and total distraction from normal activities. I never, ever rode with my car windows down and I have actually nearly knocked people down getting away from an area where I thought there might be a wasp. At one point, I seriously contemplated moving to an area of the world where it was cold year round.<br /><br />Since starting on Celexa, however...my phobia has all but disappeared and I can say this without the slightest hesitation or exaggeration. It has changed my life. I now rarely think about wasps and even if I do, there is very little anxiety and if one comes near me, I simply move out of the way. I no longer stress on my long walk from the parking lot to the hospital where I work and I can comfortably sit outside, even if there are wasps in the area. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me.<br /><br />The downside is...Celexa has had a negative affect on my libido. This is pretty well documented for Celexa users, however. Additionally, I have a harder time getting up in the morning. I now sleep up to 2 hours past my normal wake up time. I am going to see if a lower dosage might be just as effective. Lastly, I am eating less. It seems Celexa has curbed my appetite somewhat. Other than these three side effects, I have noticed nothing else negative. <br /><br />A reader left a comment on the initial entry about her experience, and it almost exactly mirrors mine. No stuttering benefit, but her anxiety around people has all but disappeared, but she also noticed a decrease in sexual appetite. That may be good or bad, depending upon who you ask, I suppose.<br /><br />At any rate, that is my experience thus far...I am going to report to my neurologist next month and see if she wants to try the Xanax. If so, I anticipate that the experience will be similar to Celexa. I don't expect any stuttering benefit, but I imagine it will have a beneficial affect on anxiety, which is what both drugs are usually prescribed for.</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com107tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-88915607981675018962011-05-08T21:34:00.000-07:002011-05-08T21:34:30.571-07:00Learning to Stutter? The King's Speech Film!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_DPcUqIehw/TcduJkSXKOI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/cBMpIiIVAIw/s1600/colin-firth-2-sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_DPcUqIehw/TcduJkSXKOI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/cBMpIiIVAIw/s200/colin-firth-2-sized.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>If you are a stutterer/stammerer, no doubt you are aware of the multiple-Oscar winning motion picture "The King's Speech" starring Academy Award winner Colin Firth. Much was made over his phenomenal, real-to-life portrayal of King George VI who suffered from a life-long stutter, but who learned eventually to overcome with the help of an unconventional speech therapist. Mr. Firth won the Oscar for his portrayal and from nearly all accounts, the award was well deserved.<br /><br />It seems, however, that Colin Firth is having trouble shaking the "learned" impediment. <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/08/life-imitates-art-colin-firth-struggles-to-shake-kings-speech-stammer/?hpt=C2">As you can read at this link</a>, since wrapping the film and carrying on with other projects, he has found that at times, he finds himself lapsing back into the stammer that he learned for the role. He also indicates that when be thinks about the stammer, the worse he finds that it gets. Quoting from the article, "I guess old habits die hard." You can read the story <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8492604/Colin-Firth-admits-he-is-struggling-to-lose-his-stutter.html">at this link</a>, which is a different publication.<br /><br />When I think about it, I can honestly understand how something like that can happen. From what I have read, much of my stutter (I can speak only for myself) is learned behavior...a habitual form of approaching speech. While I maintain that it is an impediment, probably partly genetic and neurological, I believe that I have taught myself bad habits over the years that contribute something to my own condition. For example, when I hear a ringing telephone that I must answer, my stomach muscles immediately contract and seize up in anticipation of having to get out that first word, especially if it a string of words I must emit, such as one must do when working for some company. "Hello, this is Southwest General Hospital, how may I direct your call?" I made that up, by the way.<br /><br />Perhaps if I were to go through some kind of behavior modification therapy, some of those habits could be unlearned, helping me to be, at least, more fluent in some circumstances. I can't say for sure, I only speak what seems logical to me. Of course, there are many other times when my speech is dysfluent for no apparent reason at all. For example, when I am at home with a family member or loved one and I am completely at ease, there seems to be no habitual behavior associated with my stammer. This indicates, again, at least to me, that much of my impediment is uncontrollable.<br /><br />I find it beneficial that Colin Firth is such a notable celebrity because that will allow his predicament to be somewhat played out in the public eye where we can all see where it eventually leads. Will he drop the habit on his own, or will be require some kind of speech therapy to overcome it?<br /><br />Can stuttering/stammering be learned...to the point that one know longer has control over it and requires professional intervention to remedy it? That would be an interesting case for the medical books. What do you think?<br /><br /></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-3508492355434468522011-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:002011-05-05T08:46:12.629-07:00My First Drug: Citalopram (Celexa)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sbD0UCebdI/TcLCxJyd0SI/AAAAAAAAAEM/w5Bi4ralgJE/s1600/celexa1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7sbD0UCebdI/TcLCxJyd0SI/AAAAAAAAAEM/w5Bi4ralgJE/s1600/celexa1.gif" /></a></div>Well, ladies and gents, I am embarking on my first test of pharmacological aids for stuttering. On my latest visit to my neurologist for my Essential Tremor, I asked her about stuttering medications, specifically Paglacone (she'd never heard of it...still not available, no big surprise). She asked if I was interested in traditional speech therapy again and I told her that I was not, since I had been through years and years of speech therapy as a child and teenager with virtually no result, aside from becoming more accepting of and comfortable with my stutter. We then began discussing various medications that have been used in the treatment of stuttering, and she suggested that I start a regimen of 20mg daily of Citalopram (Celexa).<br /><br />But...isn't Celexa an antidepressant? Why, yes...it is. But...I'm not depressed? It seems a few antidepressant medications are also somewhat effective in the treatment of stuttering/stammering. Perhaps, in part, due to their anti-anxiety effects, which may account for at least some increased stuttering in people who tend to stutter more in stressful situations. Like, me. And probably almost all stutterers/stammerers. <br /><br />According to Dr. John Paul Brady (as reported by <a href="http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=170">The Stuttering Foundation</a>), Citalopram has been effective in limited stuttering individuals in achieving some level of improved fluency. Notably, those with a severe impediment benefit best by the implementation of two medications, Citalopram (Celexa) and Aprazolam (Xanax). Since I would not consider myself a severe stutterer, I opted for only the one medication. Also, if I were to greatly benefit from both medications, I would then wonder if only one of the medications would have had the same effect. Starting with the least intrusive amount seems more scientific...at least to me.<br /><br />I am concerned with side effects. As a rule, I do not like taking medications unless I am in a great deal of pain. Swallowing pills is not something I enjoy, and side effects I enjoy even less. Citalopram offers side effects that range from drowsiness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting and nervousness...to loss of appetite and loss of sexual drive. Some of the more severe possible side effects are hallucinations and confusion. Since Citalopram is an antidepressant, the latter two, while remote, are a little distressing. Be sure that if I experience any of the latter, I will cease taking it.<br /><br />My neurologist suggests that I try this medication for 2 months and then I will report back to her on the effectiveness. I will also report back to this blog, so that you can benefit from my experience. I am a bit skeptical. I am not anticipating a dramatic effect, if any at all. I hope I am pleasantly surprised. If you have tried either of these medications for stuttering (or for any reason) your input would be tremendously appreciated.<br /><br />Happy Spring!!</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-4879251095276473452011-05-01T15:35:00.000-07:002011-05-01T15:39:39.815-07:00Trump Owes An Apology to Stutterers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxiH4ZHaPsY/Tb3e1izQejI/AAAAAAAAAEI/XAK7wNxP_Dg/s1600/donald_trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UxiH4ZHaPsY/Tb3e1izQejI/AAAAAAAAAEI/XAK7wNxP_Dg/s200/donald_trump.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>If you saw the recent White House Correspondent Dinner video that is circulating, then you know that Donald Trump got roasted pretty thoroughly by both President Obama and by the head writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live, Seth Meyers. You can watch the full <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9mzJhvC-8E&amp;feature=youtu.be">video here</a>...and Seth Myer's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YGITlxfT6s&amp;feature=youtu.be">contribution here</a>.<br /><br />In my opinion, President Obama did a much better job and was genuinely funnier than Seth, although Seth got in a number of well placed zingers and one joke he made actually caused President Obama to laugh hysterically, as you'll see when you watch the video.<br /><br />In response to the roasting, The Donald made a number of ridiculous remarks on <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54037.html">Fox News in a phone-in-interview</a>, most of which suggest that Donald Trump is a humorless grump...but also, at least one remark that shows his insensitivity to those with a disability. Criticizing Seth Meyer's monologue, Donald Trump had this to say, ""I thought Seth Meyers — his delivery frankly was not good," Trump added. He's a stutterer."<br /><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Now, I have no idea if Seth Meyers is indeed a stutterer...but, if he is not, does that make the remark okay? What if Mr. Trump had said, "He's a retard," or "He's Autistic," or "He has Tourettes." Would that be okay? Of course, it would not. </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">What Donald Trump did was to turn a real disability...one that millions of people the world over struggle with on a daily basis, into a pejorative...an insult...something to be poked fun of. He marginalized Seth's words, not on the basis of what he said...but by *how* he said it. He isn't attacking Seth Meyer's words...he is attacking his manner of speech. He is, in essence, saying that, because you are a stutterer, Mr. Meyers...you shouldn't be taken seriously. </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">While it is understandable to be somewhat insulted or put off by a roasting, it is not understandable to use ones offense as a platform on which to then denigrate those who suffer from a very real and often debilitating neurological/developmental disorder.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Shame on you, Mr. Trump. If you truly aspire to be the Leader of the Free World, I strongly suggest you think more carefully about what you say...before you say it.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /></div></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-8754695695026258842011-03-13T10:04:00.000-07:002011-03-13T10:04:58.661-07:00Habit or Neurology?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pMIQrdU-ljw/TXz5IHTDI-I/AAAAAAAAAEE/ZDxCvTLohIE/s1600/silly-walk.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pMIQrdU-ljw/TXz5IHTDI-I/AAAAAAAAAEE/ZDxCvTLohIE/s200/silly-walk.gif" width="175" /></a>I may have posted about this before, I can't really remember. There are times in my day when I am completely fluent. I do not use fluency tricks, I don't block, I don't struggle with certain consonants or words...everything works just as it should and I sound like a perfectly fluent individual.<br /><br />Does this indicate that I have the capacity to be completely fluent 100% of the time? During those 100% fluent times, am I tapping into an ability to be completely stutter free? If I can EVER be completely fluent, does this mean I have the ability to *always* be fluent?<br /><br />Let's break it down. If I find that I have a period of time of about 3 minutes in the day where I am completely fluent without using any "tricks" to be so...what is going on during those 3 minutes? Have I broken my stuttering habits for that 3 minutes...or is it that, suddenly, for whatever reason, the basal ganglia is properly working with the rest of my brain?<br /><br />It is a frustrating idea that I am exploring here because there are times when I am completely fluent and those fleeting times make me think that I can be fluent all of the time. I just have to tap into whatever is happening during those fluent times so that whatever is happening...will happen ALL&nbsp; the time.<br /><br />How much of my stuttering is 100% habit and how much is 100% neurology?<br /><br />Someone once asked me to tell them what the experience of stuttering is like, and this is the best analogy I could think of: Imagine that when you are walking down the street, you suddenly lose the ability to put one foot in front of the other, and you suddenly start stumbling...but it only last for 5 steps...and then you can suddenly walk normally again. What made you lose the ability for those 5 steps? You have no idea! What was different during those 5 steps? You have no explanation...it's just that, suddenly, without warning and for no apparent reason...you lose the natural ability to put one foot in front of the other.<br /><br />That is what stuttering is like to me. So, if I can be fluent for 3 minutes...does this indicate that I have the capacity to be fluent most or all of the time? I suppose there is no simple answer. It is probably the case that part of it is habit and part of it is neurological and I lack the ability to determine the proportions on my own.<br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br /><br /></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-51495479695748160802011-03-13T08:38:00.000-07:002011-03-13T08:38:25.992-07:00Pagoclone...When will it be available? Ever?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jXztM8xkmSc/TXzkJeJujyI/AAAAAAAAAEA/3M00-gsz410/s1600/frustrated-teddy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-jXztM8xkmSc/TXzkJeJujyI/AAAAAAAAAEA/3M00-gsz410/s320/frustrated-teddy1.jpg" width="253" /></a>This video below cites a 55% effectiveness rate for users and the video shows a dramatic decrease in the stuttering of the subject in question. I recently did research online and read an <a href="http://www.wellsphere.com/brain-health-article/breaking-news-pagoclone-not-successful/1167332">entry by Tom Weidig</a> (from <a href="http://thestutteringbrain.blogspot.com/">The Stuttering Brain Blog</a>) on Wellsphere that didn't give me much hope. The trials are ended, the results were less than expected and, thus, it seems Pagoclone probably won't be available in the foreseeable future.<br /><br />Video:&nbsp;<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9165066264092615016#">Stuttering: Neuropharmacological Improvement</a> <br /><br />While I am no scientist and do not understand all of the trappings that surround and ramifications that result from such trials, it is somewhat frustrating that, even though the drug has been very effective for some and there are virtually no detrimental side effects that they can determine...the larger results determine the availability of the drug. So, for those who might greatly benefit from the drug...they are out of luck. Too bad. <br /><br />I know that the following analogy will be far less than perfect, but it is similar, in my opinion, to the effects of melatonin. For many, it tremendously helps them to fall asleep at night. But, what if the FDA in the United States banned the supplement for resale simply because no empirical study shows it to be effective? That result would be unfair to those who benefit from melatonin.<br /><br />Some 3 million individuals in the United States alone suffer from stuttering/stammering and, worlwide, about 1% of the global population stutters. We should all be given a chance to experience the possible beneficial effects of Pagoclone...even if it doesn't work for everybody.<br /><br />Scientific progress can be frustratingly slow. Grrrr!</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-58764962494771241282011-03-11T22:13:00.000-08:002011-03-11T22:13:50.055-08:00Headed for Neurology!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wVeaS5jc5gQ/TXsO-tROupI/AAAAAAAAAD8/SMXK5GaSPoA/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wVeaS5jc5gQ/TXsO-tROupI/AAAAAAAAAD8/SMXK5GaSPoA/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a>I recently obtained a new primary family physician since moving to the east coast and I have to say that I am very pleased with the recommended doctor I chose. The front desk people could be a little less terse, however. There are few things worse than hearing a person say, "Can I help you?" when you completely get the idea from the look upon their face that they truly have no interest in helping you. Is keying a rude person's car illegal? Just wondering.<br /><br />One of the reasons I needed to get a primary is that my prescription for Propranolol was nearly gone and I needed a refill. For those unaware, I was diagnosed with Essential Tremor (sometimes called familial tremor) nearly 7 years ago and I take the medication for the tremors in my arms. Propranolol is actually a blood pressure medication, but taken at lower doses, has a wonderful suppressing effect on the type of tremors associated with Essential Tremor. Unlike those suffering from Parkinson's Disease, the tremors associated with ET are experienced while undertaking activity rather than at rest. For example, on a bad day, I have trouble holding a bowl of food with one hand and eating with another. The bowl will slosh around and I can hardly get a bite to my mouth. Thank you, Universe. Now, not only can I not say 5 words in a row without feeling like moron, now I have the added pleasure of rattling around like a spastic asshole, as well. Ah, life! ;P<br /><br />Compared to many chronic ET sufferers, my tremor is very manageable. In fact, unless I'm doing a specific activity, nobody can even tell. And for the times when people could tell (in meetings, for example, when I had to handle and read documents), many assumed I was suffering from some kind of alcohol withdrawal or something similar. How embarrassing, right? "No, they aren't DT's. I don't drink! Really! What do you mean will I agree to a blood test??"<br /><br />I had stopped taking the medication for about two years because I felt confident that the affliction wasn't affecting my life all that much (plus, I hate taking pills of any kind), but then around 2008, I began to notice pressure and mild pain in both of my shoulder joints. For lack of a better description, at times it felt as if there were air bubbles in my shoulder that would rapidly grow and then pop. At times, it felt as if my shoulders were going to pop out of joint, but it wasn't exactly painful. Just a feeling. Sometimes it felt like I had no control over my arms, if I were to undertake some action, like picking up a piece of paper or passing the crack pipe. Just little, normal things like that. So, I decided to start taking the drug again.<br /><br />The good thing about Propranolol, aside from how it helps me, is that, at this low dosage, it has virtually no side effects. No liver impact, barely any drowsiness...in fact, aside from the fact that my arms feel perfectly normal, I can't even tell that I am taking anything at all. I like that.<br /><br />At any rate, my new doc has scheduled me to see a new neurologist to give me a new batter of tests to assess my tremor...but, also to see what he might say about stuttering treatment. I mentioned the new drug Paglocone to him, but he has never heard of it. No big surprise there. I think I read recently that the trials for Paglogocone were ended and aren't scheduled to start up again, so we'll see how that goes. I don't know what other meds they try for stuttering, but I would be interested to try something...just because I've never tried medications for it before. I'll keep you informed of what the neurologist says.<br /><br />I hope everyone's 2011 is going well. Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead tomorrow night!</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-13973113102552055672011-02-20T21:25:00.000-08:002011-02-20T21:25:32.846-08:00Meet Bobby - A New Blogger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-98ABUKx8hic/TWH2Um9k0cI/AAAAAAAAAD4/JWQFMxJ6So0/s1600/nachoblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-98ABUKx8hic/TWH2Um9k0cI/AAAAAAAAAD4/JWQFMxJ6So0/s1600/nachoblog.jpg" /></a></div>I love it when new comments come in on my blog posts because it gives me the chance to meet new stutterers and gives me greater insight to our community and just who is a part of it. Meet the author of the new stuttering blog <b><a href="http://stutterstep.blogspot.com/">Stutter Step</a>.</b><br /><br />What do I know about Bobby? Not much, admittedly, except that he is a professional software developer, that he loves his Dad, and that he is a good writer. I hope he will continue his blogging...it seems he has just started this year. I particularly enjoyed his two most recent posts, a review of the tremendous film, "The King's Speech" and his list of favorite celebrity stutterers. James Earl Jones, as Bobby relates, is indeed very intriguing because, although a former stutter, his most famous claim to fame is his VOICE WORK. The last line in the entry about Bruce Willis made me laugh. <br /><br />I hope you check him out...his blog entries are really easy to read...nothing too heavy...you get pretty quickly that he loves life and doesn't let his stutter hinder his love for life. Good for him. We could all take a lesson.<br /><br />Funny what you can pick up about a person just from what they write. :)<br /><br />Welcome, Bobby!!</div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-29688714005143332102011-02-04T10:47:00.000-08:002011-02-04T10:47:07.623-08:00Stuttering Michael Jackson Impersonator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KLqVkI-2Otw?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />I am a double threat. I am a stutterer and I love Michael Jackson. I was browsing through YouTube this afternoon and I came across this 12-year-old boy from Turkey who does a spot on Michael Jackson dance impersonation...but, before he dances, he speaks...and you can't help but notice that he has a pronounced stutter. God bless those youngsters who do not let their stutter/stammer stop them from doing what they love to do. Going on live television is hard enough...to do so with as a stutter/stammer must be even harder. That kid has talent!</div><br /></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-56648738886052004092011-01-23T09:57:00.000-08:002011-01-24T10:23:40.630-08:00Stuttering Advice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TTxrrmGIIzI/AAAAAAAAADw/RttcJTb_qZw/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TTxrrmGIIzI/AAAAAAAAADw/RttcJTb_qZw/s200/writing.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was contacted recently by a very loving and caring mother of a primary school child who asked my opinion about some concerns she has with her son's speech. With her permission, I am posting our exchange here for your review. Keep in mind, these are only my opinions and she is aware of that. Feel free to leave your own comments about her questions or about the opinions that I have offered to her.<br /><br /><br /><div style="color: blue;">Hi Tony, </div><div style="color: blue;">My son has been stuttering on and off since age 2 1/2 (he's 5 now)&nbsp; I keep thinking he's growing out of it&nbsp;and then it starts to get worse again.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then things smooth out&nbsp;.&nbsp; Frustrating to say the least.&nbsp; I have been contemplating speech therapy for a long time, but have some fears surrounding that.&nbsp; He currently doesn't seem&nbsp;bothered&nbsp;by his speech so we haven't even talked with him about it yet.&nbsp; He is a shy, quiet kid in kindergarten so his teacher hasn't even notice a stutter yet.&nbsp; I kind of think he is being quiet because it's hard for him to talk sometimes.&nbsp; Yesterday he didn't want to do Show and Tell.&nbsp; I don't know if that is because he was feeling shy&nbsp;and anxious&nbsp;or couldn't/ wouldn't talk.&nbsp; What are your thoughts on speech therapy for a 5 year old?&nbsp; How can I take him to weekly speech therapy sessions to try&nbsp;and&nbsp;improve his speech, while at the same time let him know it's ok to stutter?&nbsp; My Dad has stuttered his whole life and didn't like going to speech therapy.&nbsp; Same for a cousin who stutters.&nbsp; Everything I read about stuttering says early intervention is best, but I am still scared.&nbsp; What do you reccomend?</div><div style="color: blue;">Thanks for your blog!</div><div style="color: blue;">Very Sincerely,</div><div style="color: blue;">Karen</div><br />My response:<br /><br />Hi, Karen! Thanks for writing to me!<br /><br />In my non professional opinion, I think (generally) 5 years of age is too young for speech therapy. My reasoning is that, if he isn't aware of it yet and it isn't impeding him, I think therapy would make him suddenly aware of the stutter and would greatly lend to him developing a complex about it and could easily lead to low self esteem. I would definitely wait until it actually becomes a problem. For example, when he begins to complain about it or he seems impeded in academics or socially or when other kids begin teasing him.<br /><br />Also, consider that it might disappear on its own! Given that speech therapy does little to stop or end stuttering, he would be okay either way. In my experience, research and opinion, speech therapy mostly only helps the stutterer become more comfortable with being a stutterer. In my case and for the many years I went through therapy as a child, it didn't noticeably help at all. If there was improvement, it was indiscernible by me. <br /><br />Lastly, and if I am preaching to the choir, forgive me, often parents take on the burden of their child's perceived problem and in their zeal to rescue them, they do too much for the child, things that aren't necessary. Stuttering hasn't impeded my life in any measurable way (thought it does for those with a chronic stutter). It has only caused internal frustration and low self esteem problems as a child. Without stuttering, however, your child will still face internal frustrations for other things and, for some reason, we all face a measure of low self esteem for one reason or other. Stuttering will likely not ruin his life and, conversely, not having a stutter doesn't guarantee that he will be successful or happy. True happiness is achieved by accepting what you have been given and refusing to be a victim. :)<br /><br />I offer this just as friendly advice. The best you can do for him is to let him be a child and just keep an eye out on his social and academic development. If there is a problem, you will either notice in due time or maybe his teachers will alert you to the problem. Until then, I would say it is not yet a problem and that is a good thing! <br /><br />I hope to hear from you in the future on his progress! Good luck to you and to him and May All Good Things Come To You. :)<br /><br />Bright Blessings<br />Tony <br /><br />(I will post the follow up emails soon!)<br /><br /><br /></div>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-67935469551922956942010-10-23T10:50:00.000-07:002010-10-23T11:36:48.250-07:00iPhone App: DAF Assistant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TMMgdYPg_3I/AAAAAAAAADo/MUUT6uo1fWk/s1600/daf-screenshot_1.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TMMgdYPg_3I/AAAAAAAAADo/MUUT6uo1fWk/s320/daf-screenshot_1.3.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>I refuse to shell out $4000 for the SpeechEasy, not only because it's far too expensive, but also because there is strong evidence that the device's beneficial effects eventually wear off for most of those who use it. The strongest piece of anecdotal evidence comes from that of <a href="http://istutterer.blogspot.com/2010/04/welcome.html">Mark, a young man</a> whose life was initially changed by SpeechEasy as he was thrust into instant fame by being featured on American national television on The Today Show and Oprah Winfrey (I believe). It seems that the American media was a bit hasty, however, because, to hear Mark tell it, the effects of the device began to rapidly decline until it had virtually no effect at all. He spent a fair amount of time in a depression because of the experience...thankfully, however, he eventually recovered and is now in grad school, I think. You can check out his blog in the link above.<br /><br />Despite this, I was still curious, if for no other reason, because I wanted to see if the device would work for me, even if only initially, and because I wanted to feel what it is like to be fluent. <br /><br />It seems Apple has come up with the solution for this. Well, not Apple, but an application designer named ARTEFACT, LLC. The application is sold in iTunes and is called <a href="http://artefactsoft.com/iphonedaf.htm">DAF Assistant ($9.99!)</a>. Essentially, it operates exactly like The SpeechEasy device, absent the carefully and personally-tailored ear piece. The application offers Audio Delay from 20-320 milliseconds and Frequency Shift from tones ranging from -10 to +10 (half octave down to half octave up). You can use the application with either Bluetooth headset or a simple headset with a built-in microphone. I don't recommend the type of headset with an extended microphone, as you would look silly walking around with that on your head all day. Just buy the ones with the microphone built in to the cord that extends from the earphone itself. That way, you can even just use that one side of the earphones without having two earbuds in at the same time.<br /><br />The intended effect is to "trick" the stutterer/stammerer into thinking that he or she is speaking in unison with somebody else because, for some stutterers, doing so virtually eliminates the stutter. That is the case for me. If I am reciting The Pledge of Allegiance or any other verse in unison with one or more persons, I will not stutter. Why is this so? I haven't the foggiest clue. *shrugs*<br /><br />The application does work for me. When I placed the earbuds into my ears and launched the device, I immediately was able to speak freely to a friend of mine with hardly any stammering or blocks. It was a tremendous feeling and I kept talking nonstop for about 5 minutes. The small blocks I did have were almost inconsequential and I was able to get past them almost by sheer will. My settings are Delay of 140 and Frequency Shift of +3. I tried a few others and they worked nearly as well, so I can't say for sure which works the best.<br /><br />The downside: As expected, not only do you hear your own voice with delayed feedback and frequency shift, but you hear everything else in the room (including your own typing) in the same manner. My friend tried it and said it would drive him crazy. It doesn't bother me all that much, simply because the benefit of fluency outweighs any noticeable distraction. If I am not talking, I do find the noise annoying, so I just take out the earbud or turn the application off. The only time I ever found it annoying (disturbing, actually) was when I suddenly laughed out loud in response to something my friend said and suddenly was subjected to a loud, high pitched, crazy-sounding laugh directly into my own ear. I immediately yanked out the earbud!<br /><br />My own advice is to only use the application in instances where you will actively be participating in a conversation. If you are only going to speak occasionally, like when you are watching television with others...turn it off. The feedback will be distracting. Overall, I am very pleased with the results. The application is exceedingly inexpensive at just 99 cents and the results were/are immediate. And if they aren't for you...well, you've only lost ten bucks. :)Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-83477471581268075642010-10-22T17:46:00.000-07:002010-10-22T18:34:07.753-07:00An Award & A Difficult Academic Task<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TMIwTszFXXI/AAAAAAAAADk/tG0N07k7u_I/s1600/public20speaking.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TMIwTszFXXI/AAAAAAAAADk/tG0N07k7u_I/s320/public20speaking.gif" width="208" /></a></div>Apparently, my blog was one of 10 winners for the 2010 Top Stuttering Stammering Blogs (see the badge in the right-hand column). You can read about who hosts this selection at at <a href="http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/top/stuttering-stammering/#Stuttering_Stude">this link here</a>. I really do appreciate those who voted for this blog, appreciate the organization who sponsors the yearly distinction, and certainly am humbled to be included with my fellow bloggers on that list, most with whom I have become familiar over the years of maintaining this blog. To be listed right below <a href="http://thestutteringbrain.blogspot.com/">Tom Weidig</a> is a true honor, given the time and tremendous work he expends every year in the study of stammering and given his impressive academic credentials. You may have read before that he and I had the chance to sit and talk in a coffee house in San Diego a few years ago. He is just as charming in person as he is in his writing. And just as passionate about the study of stammering/stuttering.<br /><br />I am currently back in school again...yes, again (actually, I think I mentioned this already). It seems I have become addicted to being enrolled in school. Otherwise, I feel lazy and unproductive and I hate both of those things. For one of the courses I am required to take (Language and Communication) I was required to develop a thesis statement and then provide research and an outline for a live presentation of my subject and thesis, write an APA-formatted outline, at least one visual aid, and then I was required to VIDEO TAPE the presentation without editing and have at least one person in the audience ask 2-3 questions at the end, followed by my answers.<br /><br />Let me start by saying that I am a very comfortable public speaker. I am most fluent when I am at a podium or if there is a microphone in my hand. I facilitate many psychoeducational groups at work with at least 10-15 teenagers in attendance. Most of my groups are educational in nature and consist of me lecturing and asking questions of the teens. I feel most comfortable, speaking-wise, when I am in front of an audience. Unless...unless...unless...there is a camcorder running and it is being recorded. Then, I turn into a stuttering, fumbling, sweaty-palmed jackass. And that is what happened with this project. It took me 5 times to finally get all the way through it. Each of the four times, I would get nearly through the presentation and then suddenly, I would block irrevocably and I would just turn the camera off because I can't bear the thought of my college instructors seeing how I look when I stutter. Further, I have no desire to immortalize such an event on film, digital or otherwise.<br /><br />Ultimately, I was able to get through it, with stuttering, and decided that, since it was a required part of the course, I had no choice but to live with it. I did let the graders know of my stuttering condition, however, and informed them that the stuttering was unavoidable and that I sincerely hoped I would not be penalized for it, grade-wise. Turns out, I was not. I passed the task and was told the work was excellent.<br /><br />What stands out in my mind, however, about this event is how traumatized I felt after each failed attempt. My hands were sweaty and shaking, I was depressed, embarrassed with myself and felt like a complete failure. After the second try, I was almost ready to give up on the prospect of even trying again. I literally felt very invaded and traumatized. I felt like I was being forced to put my disability on display for others to view and that is a horrible, terrible feeling.<br /><br />Okay, I'm done being a victim. :)<br /><br />Stuttering can be a real pain in the arse at times!Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-69600288102819321392010-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:002010-09-17T10:37:29.004-07:00Teaching?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TJOnSH4ss6I/AAAAAAAAADc/QGlkiLUnv04/s1600/teacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TJOnSH4ss6I/AAAAAAAAADc/QGlkiLUnv04/s200/teacher.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I am currently employed as a counselor for teenagers in a children's crisis hospital. I deal daily with teenagers with various conditions such as autism, pychotic tendencies, suicidal ideation, self-injurious behaviors, violent acting out, mental retardation, past sexual or physical abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and a host of others. It is a very fulfilling vocation, but one that can also be very stressful and even sometimes dangerous.<br /><br />I am back in school, however, and am currently working on my teaching credential which will allow me to be licensed to teach K-8th grade. It's an interdisciplinary degree program, which will qualify me to teach all subjects to primary-school-aged children.<br /><br />I may a post just recently about masking my stutter using various tricks I have learned over the years. They allow me to successful counsel with the teenagers at work with little or no evidence at all that I stutter. They don't always work and, in fact, one teenager called me out for stuttering during a group session I was conducting just two days ago. I announced to the group that, yes, I did just stutter and that I have a persistent developmental stutter that I deal with on a daily basis. Most of them were surprised to hear me say that and expressed that I do not appear to stutter. Well, yeah. That's the point.<br /><br />As an aspiring teacher, how successful do you think I would be landing a job as a primary school teacher if, during the interview, I found myself unable to say 3-5 words in a row without stuttering? What school would hire someone with that kind of speaking disability? How effective of a teacher would one be if he or she was unable to speak fluently to a class of 20-25 small children? I don't have the answers to these questions...I am just thinking them aloud and am considering their existence, since it's something I would likely have to deal with if I did not employ my fluency "tricks".<br /><br />Do I think that schools should discriminate against those who stammer? Of course, not. But, does that mean that they won't do so anyway? Again, of course, not. For more information about my position on this matter, please read the last entry. And, as usual, your comments are very welcome!Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-62102836409411488452010-09-05T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-07T22:27:23.900-07:00Is Stuttering Cool?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TIPe467cByI/AAAAAAAAADU/B0eUBTi2HSc/s1600/confused-kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TIPe467cByI/AAAAAAAAADU/B0eUBTi2HSc/s200/confused-kid.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>Recently a friend sent me a suggestion to "like" something on Facebook. It's a group called <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stuttering-is-Cool/241217838725">Stuttering Is Cool</a> and from what I have read, it is at least partly about stuttering freely and even advertising that you have a stutter. Supposedly, for some, this takes the edge off of the stuttering dilemma, because now there is no pressure to talk like you think others think you should talk. You can just be yourself and the people that you are speaking to...can expect the stutter.<br /><br />The problem I have with this is personal and in no way is being published here to malign that group or to oppose the work they are doing. It is just my opinion.<br /><br />Firstly, I don't think that stuttering is cool. There. I said it. It's not cool. It sucks...and I won't pretend that it does anything else. I think that stuttering sucks in the same way that a dart to the head probably sucks. What if you had a foot that will sometimes step right where you want it to...but on numerous and often occasions, it steps completely in the wrong place? Would that be cool? What if the hand holding your fork only made it successfully to your mouth 3 out of 5 times? Would that be cool? What if your eyes failed you more often than they assisted you? Or your hearing? Or your legs? Would that be cool?<br /><br />No. That would certainly not be cool. That would suck. And it would suck hard.<br /><br />What is cool is that I have successfully developed avoidance techniques that help me to avoid stuttering...and they are successful to the point that most people who don't spend a lot of time with me, do not know that I stutter. "But, Tony, why would you care what strangers think of you?"<br /><br />Good question! Well...not really. I don't care what they think of me. I care about how my stuttering makes ME feel. Not them. If I am ever on the phone with my son and I find fluency to be fleeting and I stutter through our conversation (my techniques don't work much on the phone), I become frustrated and my son always tries to help by saying something he thinks is helpful...like, "Dad, it doesn't bother me!" What he doesn't realize is that I'm not frustrated because I think I am bothering him--it's not about him--it's about ME. I am frustrated because I can't do what most of the world can do without thinking about it: TALK.<br /><br />I understand what <b>Stuttering Is Cool</b> is trying to do...and I think it's a worthy cause. They are taking the sting out of stuttering by putting it out front and talking about it. They are turning it around to make it something positive instead of something negative. They are psychologically disarming the stutter so that it's no longer an enemy....but a friend.<br /><br />But, I don't want stuttering to be my friend. If it were my friend, it would let me talk. I don't have a single friend out there who would purposely trip me or push me down or lock up my mouth so that I can't say three words in a row without elevated anxiety levels. That's not a friend. That's an enemy...and a diabolical one who deserves to have shit-balls launched at his head.<br /><br />My avoidance techniques...or "tricks" as I refer to them...are my friends. They allow me to be confident in most situations. They help me to sound like I want to sound. They support my desire to feel good about myself and they also help me to do so. That sounds more like a friend to me.<br /><br />I know there will be comments from those who support advertising our stutter...I'm just not of those people. It's just not for me. My son was born with a club foot. He had five surgeries...one a year for the first five years of his life. The deformity has been corrected and he can pretty much walk like anyone else, but he also has to wear a lift in his shoe so that he doesn't have a limp. The lift enables him to APPEAR like everyone else in the walking community.<br /><br />That's what my tricks do for me. They make it so I can sound like everyone else who can speak without really thinking about it. Is that so wrong? Is it wrong to want to sound and feel like everyone else? If so, leave a comment. I will consider it. And...as usual...thanks for reading. :)Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-74514973681307299502010-06-09T22:35:00.000-07:002010-09-07T22:36:16.176-07:00"Prove to me that you stutter!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TBB5hzWb_3I/AAAAAAAAADE/KjMKk6sJsdQ/s1600/boss-yelling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TBB5hzWb_3I/AAAAAAAAADE/KjMKk6sJsdQ/s320/boss-yelling.jpg" /></a></div>Would any of you ask a person in a wheelchair to stand up and attempt to walk across the room so that you can actually see that the person is crippled? Would you ask a self-proclaimed diabetic to skip an insulin injection so that you could personally verify their medical condition? Would you throw a frisbee to a person who claims to be blind so that you could verify if they actually are visually impaired?<br /><br />Some time ago, I put up a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDQNBok1LCo">video on my YouTube channel titled, "We Stutter"</a>. I did this so that I could explain how I achieved fluency in my YouTube videos and also so that I could reach out to other YouTube users who might also suffer from a Persistent Developmental Stutter. If you watch my videos, you will rarely see any stuttering. That is because I edit the stuttering completely out of the videos and what results is a video rant that is fast, closely edited and appears to be the ramblings of a person on high doses of caffeine. That was my goal. It is my way of being able to partake in an activity that would otherwise be impossible to do with any real fluency.<br /><br />Mostly, I have received positive responses to the video, and most of those come from fellow stutterers/stammerers. But, I've noticed that there are some people who don't believe that I actually stutter and some of them have sent me private messages to this effect and have asked me to send them video files of me stuttering…so that they can personally verify that I am actually a stutterer. I find this to be more than just a little rude and presumptuous. One guy accused me of riding on the backs of stutterers to achieve success or fame.<br /><br />Success or fame? FIRST of all, that video is the ONLY video I've ever made about stuttering. You would have to search to even find it. It's buried under more than a hundred more videos that I have filmed since.<br /><br />SECOND, what kind of fame would I possibly be attempting to achieve? I've never seen a person achieve YouTube success (or any other kind, for that matter) by virtue of a stutter. My "fame" on YouTube has come about by my regular comedy videos…not from some public service announcement about stuttering. That video has gotten just over 33,000 views, so I'm not earning any significant amount of ad revenue from it.<br /><br />In the video, I explain exactly how I achieve fluency in my videos and I also explain exactly why I made the video. It had nothing at all to do with fame or money. The video was made long before I become a YouTube partner, so most of the views haven't earned me one cent. <br /><br />I made the video because I think it is important for all of us to highlight our personal achievements as stutterers so that we can instill even a small amount of hope, inspiration and pride in ourselves as we struggle through our daily lives with stuttering. If that has been achieved for even one viewer (and it HAS)…then I am pleased with the effort. For the rest of you who don't believe me...you can so suck eggs. Yeah...I said it. :)Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-35891123577337728552010-06-09T08:41:00.000-07:002010-06-09T10:35:04.715-07:00Petition: ASHA Needs to Actively Enforce its Code of Ethics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TA-2pOpNYRI/AAAAAAAAAC8/HLKbnXSuvqI/s1600/45367v1v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TA-2pOpNYRI/AAAAAAAAAC8/HLKbnXSuvqI/s200/45367v1v1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Please visit the link below to add read the petition to the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)...and then consider signing the petition. The ASHA has its own code of ethics regarding its members advertising "cures" for stuttering/stammering, yet they do not always enforce them. Currently, many ASHA members violate the code of ethics by making false/misleading claims regarding certain treatments and "cures". It is not simply an issue of "free speech". The FDA actively enforces the law regarding food and drug manufacturers making false or misleading claims...and so should the ASHA with regard to their own code of ethics and their Members.<br /><br />By allowing these unsavory companies and individuals to thrive, the affliction of stuttering is mis-characterized, individuals are misled into thinking there is a "quick fix" for stuttering and the stutterers themselves are enticed to part with their money, only to be left feeling as if they failed when the "cure" didn't work for them. If you, as an individual business owner, marketed a "pill" or supplement that you claim can cure diabetes, you would quickly face the wrath of the Food and Drug Administration. And rightly so. Consumers need to be protected from individuals peddling "snake oils" to cure or treat debilitating medical, psychological or physiological conditions.<br /><br />Some might regard this issue as merely one of "buyer beware", but this is a terribly careless position to take, in my opinion, because it entirely ignores the ASHA code of ethics, firstly; secondly, society (and the FDA) does not tolerate similar standards with regard to food or drug manufacturers who make curative claims. We need to stand together as a community to send a message to the ASHA. Please consider standing together with me by clicking the link below, reading and then signing the petition.<br /><br /><a href="http://stuttertalk.com/2010/06/09/petition-asha.aspx">ASHA Needs to Actively Enforce its Code of Ethics</a>Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-9806714275941631032010-05-31T10:10:00.000-07:002010-05-31T10:15:55.240-07:00It's Frustrating!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TAPurvTC-II/AAAAAAAAAC0/fB1hAXkArsI/s1600/frustrated.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/TAPurvTC-II/AAAAAAAAAC0/fB1hAXkArsI/s200/frustrated.gif" width="200" /></a></div>I was at a friend's house yesterday, a very talented Animal Communicator/Psychic and this is a person I see on a regular basis each week. We are very good friends and share books, life stories, give each other advice, etc. Yet, yesterday at her house, I struggled horribly with being fluent. I also work with this lady and rarely do I stutter in my professional setting. Suddenly, however, for some mysterious reason, I couldn't say five words in a row without a major block...and my usual tricks to avoid stuttering all seemed to fail.<br /><br />Maybe it was the unfamiliar setting? I have never been to visit her and her husband at their house before, so maybe that put me on edge a little. Who knows? She knows that I am a stutterer and reacts wonderfully to it, never trying to complete my sentences or even mentioning the stutter at all. Still, I felt like a huge idiot.<br /><br />No matter how many times you tell yourself that stuttering doesn't determine your intelligence and shouldn't affect your value or how you feel about yourself, when days or incidents arise like this, I am virtually unable to convince myself that I don't appear to be a stuttering, stammering, dysfluent imbecile.<br /><br />I hate days like that.Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-32408991224792188332010-05-19T10:30:00.001-07:002010-05-19T10:30:30.791-07:00Sticks and Stones...Hurt Like Hell, Damn It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/S_QgAoTeYqI/AAAAAAAAACs/du603u6Zf9s/s1600/sillykid" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DrSUg46LNu4/S_QgAoTeYqI/AAAAAAAAACs/du603u6Zf9s/s320/sillykid" /></a></div>As a young child, I wasn't the most brawny of kids. In fact, I was downright scrawny and wimpy. I was born 2 1/2 months early, weighed only a few small pounds and never really caught up. Because of my pint size, I was often the target of bullies. When I was in middle school, around 6-8th grade in the United States, I had the stature and build of a kid of no more than 9 or 10...even though I was 12-13 years of age. In the locker room after gym, all the kids stood at least a head or so above me.<br /><br />Because of my small size, I wasn't too adept at physical confrontation. Redeeming myself and my good name through the use of "fisticuffs" wasn't my forte...never was and never will be. In my entire childhood, I was probably only engaged in two fights ever; one was with my brother and the other was with a kid in the 6th grade who wiped the school yard with my face.<br /><br />While I wasn't adept at physical confrontation, I did learn early on that I could defend myself pretty well with my words. Despite my stutter, when I would become angry, I could give someone a hefty tongue lashing, so much so that I had a reputation for being fairly skilled at verbal put-downs and insults. It was my sole effective weapon, though not effective if the target of my verbal rampage decided to take things a step further. Then I would be at a decided disadvantage once again.<br /><br />My verbal skill, while also somewhat of an advantage at choice times in my dealings with schoolyard peers, was also my biggest source of trouble at home. My mother was a strict disciplinarian and demanded respect and absolutely forbad "talking back" or "giving sass" to adults. But, I was unable to control my mouth, even with my parents, should we disagree over some thing or some issue. I would argue an issue, even if I was in the wrong, to the point of distraction and was a constant source of annoyance to my mom who, on more than one occasion, stated categorically that if given the chance, I would argue with Jesus Christ himself. But, that's just silly. Jesus is a Democrat. Why would I argue with Him? <br /><br />I guess I am posting this because I find it somewhat ironic that I was gifted with a sharp tongue, but also with a bad stutter as a kid. As I said in an earlier entry, I also love sharp-witted comedy and would have loved to have been a stand-up comic...but for my annoying stutter. (And assuming I'm funny. My son says that I'm funny, but also says that looks aren't everything.)<br /><br />Language is very important to me. I guess that's why I developed such a love for the written word. I can't speak it as eloquently as I write it...and the advantage of writing it is that it gives you time to carefully hone what you intend to say before you unleash it on the unwitting reader. I participate in online debate, have been frequenting the same debate forum for over a decade now. I am pretty damn good at it, but I think that's because I can think before I write and I always sound more eloquent than if I had to speak aloud what I want to say.<br /><br />Is any of this your experience as well? As a stutterer, what dreams did you pass on because of the limitations of your speech, if any?Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20794132.post-35682219166646415242010-05-17T10:15:00.000-07:002010-05-17T10:17:00.041-07:00Another Money-Grubbing SCAM ARTISTMeet "Orlene Robinson"...she was kind enough to leave a very encouraging comment on my "advertising my stutter" blog entry and then go about his merry way.<br /><br />Wait, no she didn't!! She also left a link to "her" e-Book which promises, for the low, low price of just $39.99 ($17 if I ACT NOW!) to offer tips that will help you or your child find "tried and true" tips for overcoming his or her stammer! Check it out!<br /><br /><a href="http://stutteringtips.com/">http://stutteringtips.com/</a><br /><br />I love how these scammers offer a product that, by the picture, appears to be a huge, fancy looking textbook of some kind, but then turns out to be an internet e-book download. Why can't I have the book below that is pictured on the site?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://stutteringtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ebook-cover-192x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://stutteringtips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ebook-cover-192x300.jpg" /></a></div><br />I want this lovely, nice big green textbook! Why can't I have it? Hmm. Probably because it doesn't exist. If you click on the profile page of Orlene Robinson, you see she is a lovely woman who lives in Jamaica, loves reading the Bible, but, oddly, there isn't one piece of information, not one link to any blogs or websites that offer any information at all about stammering/stuttering. Why would that be? Look for yourself:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/04578448236449972616">http://www.blogger.com/profile/04578448236449972616</a> <br /><br /><br />I have a theory. If you find information that purports to help you with anything...on a website that forces you to scroll down endlessly while you read paragraph after paragraph of testimonials and unfounded scientific or medical claims...all while giving you NO INFORMATION at all about who is peddling the product or who is behind it...it's probably 100% garbage.<br /><br />So, congratulations, Orlene...you are my newest SCAM ARTIST of the Day! How proud your parents must be.Tony Pearsonhttps://plus.google.com/112761525265168480435noreply@blogger.com2